


Two Roads Diverged in a Wood

by glindasgay (rootcoding)



Category: The Wicked Years Series - Gregory Maguire, Wicked - All Media Types
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, glinda has anxiety, glinda will be a lesbian and elphaba will be bi, just hella gay, she just wants elphies attention but doesnt understand why
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-26
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-28 09:44:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14446581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rootcoding/pseuds/glindasgay
Summary: it's a fleshing out of book canon and the aspects of the two girls' relationship that doesn't get explored too explicitly in the novel. slow burn but definitely heading for gelphie romance. it will be angsty bc i love suffering but there will be soft fluff too i promise.





	1. Too Strange and Strong to be Coincidences

**Author's Note:**

> currently, i'm writing it from galinda's pov but it may shift as we go. not a lot happens in this bc i just wanted to establish a beginning and how galinda feels about elphaba. i promise it'll pick up and be gayer. there may be some m rated chapters later on but i'll put warnings at the beginning.
> 
> you can also reach me on tumblr @ glindasgay.
> 
> please give feedback and let me know what you think !

Galinda was not yet sure how to categorise the nature of their companionship. What had recently resembled hatred had now faded to mere distance, like a washed out image left exposed to the sun. The brilliant colours had all dried up, the passion of their fury burnt to silent embers. There was not yet something new to replace the heat of their emotional flame. It hung like an emptiness between them. The awkwardness of a question that did not yet have an answer. Were they friends? Galinda was not sure. How could she be expected to be certain when her roommate gave so little away? Elphaba had never seemed to care whether the blonde girl despised her or not, appeared indifferent to her pointed looks and spiteful retorts that had since mellowed into an uncomfortable silence. She had ignored the emerald skinned girl in public, scorned her behind her back, and yet in the quiet of their shared home, all she wanted was her attention. She had qualities about her that enticed the young woman, admirable qualities she had found lacking in her previous friendships. There was something more, but what it could be called she had no idea. Galinda found herself drawn to her; a moth to a bright flame, fluttering and anxious.

The two girls sat side by side, Galinda propped up upon plump pillows, separated by the distance between their beds and a world of unspoken grievances. Her pearl white teeth bit gently into the painted pink of her lips as she pondered the unusual bond they shared, their differences that both attracted and repelled. She had been raised much like a ballerina, disciplined and distracted. If you kept spinning, stepping light and motions controlled, they would never see you falter and fall. It was all for the show, the spectacle. She had always given such little thought to intention, to meaning and regret. The key was simply to not stop - and yet the green girl was so still. She didn’t prod or pray for attention, never backed down from disgrace. Perhaps being born at a disadvantage had given her a comfort within last place, perhaps she did not even view life as a race, a competition. The young Gillikin beauty mused for some time as she observed her, enjoying a rare moment of contemplation. Elphaba’s relentless focus, her curious skin in the dull light and small glasses perched atop her thin nose. But then again, everything about Elphaba was thin, angular and sharp. Whilst Elphaba lacked what Galinda’s mother would have called a ‘womanly shape’, and Galinda had certainly always been proud of her own curvaceous figure, she did find that the pointed look rather suited Elphaba. She was a blade; dangerous and sharp, but Galinda knew there were other ways to be powerful, other ways to be smart. With a half-smile she realised it did appear she was rather growing used to the other girl’s presence, and now she would not give her the attention she so desired. How the tables had turned on her.

In a characteristically childish moment, the young woman almost considered flicking a pencil across the short distance, watching it sail through the air until it collided with an exposed green hand, clutching some unknown text as though it contained the hidden secrets of Oz. But she hadn’t the nerve. Anxiety so often gripped her like a vice, a weed that had taken root in the pit of her stomach that rose and choked her, green vines entangling her lungs and holding her breath in suspense. Oh, Galinda was not scared of the other girl, she would not permit such a rumour to spread throughout Shiz, but there was a certain amount of caution that had to be taken when dealing with an acquaintance. Especially one she now hoped to speak with pleasantly when they had previously communicated solely through bitterness and controlled politeness. Galinda would not be merely ‘tolerable’, not to anyone and certainly not to her odd roommate with her unusual hue and sharp wit. She was a woman of taste, of good breeding (if not quite as excellent as she let on) and with her own intellect to be proud of. Maybe she hid it from time to time, maybe she spent it in a different way, but a different currency did not diminish its value. She would make the green girl pay her the attention she deserved.

She took another moment, pondering upon what excuse she could use. Growing restless upon her own sheets, she felt a rising irritation at Elphaba’s calm ignorance to her masked distress. Why did she pay her no heed? Rocking up onto bare feet, she padded across to her extensive wardrobe. Bustles and corsets, elaborate gowns and soft scarves, all hung juxtaposed to the plain threaded dresses in various dark shades, taking up a fraction of the space. The sight would have once made the socialite grimace, but now the bareness of Elphaba’s wardrobe almost brought her an affectionate warmth. An idea struck her.

“Oh, Elphie! If you would not mind, I would so value your opinion?” The nickname was one she had borrowed, but it felt friendly and familiar upon her tongue. She saw the other girl start at its use, a little bewildered by the warmth in Galinda’s tone. A rustle of fabric before she darted back towards her soon-to-be-friend (she was determined now), landing upon the rougher bed sheets with a soft thump and an exhale, brandishing elaborate garments towards the emerald-skinned girl’s face with characteristic glee spilling past smiling lips. Her own tremors and doubts were buried deep now, the earthquake within her ribcage, the vine that grew and gripped unseen, and she hid behind that painted on smile, that undeniable beauty. Elphaba maintained a stoic silence and barely glanced up from her book. Galinda could see a sarcastic remark building behind her half-smile.

“Oh, come on, you silly mean thing! I only require a small moment of your precious time!” She was gentle, ever so soft and persistent, as she prodded the other girl’s arm with a slender finger. Elphaba groaned as she lowered her text, pulling her knees up sharply to maintain her distance. Galinda’s golden curls seemed to almost shimmer in the odd dimmed light when she bounced in synchronisation with her enthusiasm, matching the freckles scattered across bare shoulders, exposed by her nightdress. She had finally grabbed the girl’s attention. She could not quite pinpoint why it mattered so, but when those relentless eyes were focused on her, she had never felt so seen. It was a kind of nakedness. No one had ever thought to look past the charade before, and she was finding herself quite addicted to the sensation.

Swinging the clothing options more aggressively, Galinda swung herself up onto her knees in a vain attempt to tower over Elphaba, curled up as though she wished she could curl in on herself and disappear.

“Galinda, if you would please -” Elphaba broke her silence with an impatient sigh and rolled eyes. Her growled response held only weak discontent and no true malice. But Galinda would not please, she merely plastered a softer smile upon her pretty features. With that, Elphaba seemed to cave, casting a more focused eye over the options but remaining quiet despite the blonde’s impatience. 

“What do you think? It is ever so important to make a good first impression.” She spoke as though in a coded language, the language of social etiquettes and fancies. It was all she knew, and yet it held like a barrier between them for that world held no attraction to the object of Galinda’s new attentions.

“Are you meeting someone new?” That did appear to pique Elphaba’s interest, curiosity ablaze in her dark eyes. There was something guarded there, and Galinda wondered at it before it struck her so suddenly she almost laughed.  _ She thinks I have a date _ . The idea was certainly humourous, although not due to Galinda’s lack of appeal but rather her lack of interest. Attraction had been the last thing on her mind over the past months. She had been consumed by thoughts of her unusual roommate - ways to ignore her, ways to observe her, ways to talk to her, ways to have her near. No, she had no time for dating. When her mother had spoken of well-bred Gillikin boys she’d delight to meet at Shiz, she had clearly never encountered any of them herself.

“Not intentionally, but you never know, do you? When you go out, who you might see…” She was distracted now, her tone trailing off. This was not interesting and the anxious uncertainty gripped her stomach again. “I just want to look pretty.”

“You will.” Elphaba spoke without thought, her cheeks darkening as she glanced down, looking very much like she regretted having ever spoken. The response caused a rising blush, a pink to match the deep green, in Galinda’s cheeks and Elphaba was quick to correct herself. “I mean to say, they both seem fine options - if you insist on dressing in such a fashion. But then, what am I to know? I’m not sure why you think you will get reliable clothing advice out of me?” Withdrawing her hand, reaching back to her discarded book - up close Galinda noted that it was another Unionist text the girl was so often amusing herself with - Elphaba appeared to have given up on their pretence at conversation.

Frustrated at the other girl’s retreat into herself, Galinda snatched the dresses back and away from her. “I need no fresh education on your lacking taste, Elphie.” She already knew which she would wear, the soft pink was classically feminine and emphasised her curves. It had been an obvious choice and a simple response, she thought irked, as she returned the dresses to the rack with her back to the girl upon the far bed. She did not want to see her disinterest, and avoided looking up even as she return to her own bed, tossing herself down melodramatically onto the pillows.

“I like the blue.” The response was quiet but it pierced the dark like a blade. For a moment, Galinda thought she might have misheard and did not glance across as though it might break some spell to see the green girl lying there in the darkness. She did not speak to confirm the choice, but stared up at the ceiling. Her mind coming to a forbidden conclusion she had known she would reach before she had even spoken to the other girl, that she did not want to spend the next day alone.

“We are heading into the city, just Ama Clutch and I, to visit a tea shop that took my fancy upon last visit.” Hesitant, sweet and soft. If her eyes had been visible in the diminished light, they would have been doe-sweet and pleading. Galinda thought to herself as she spoke, perhaps she would not look so much worse in the blue. A baby soft hue that lightened her eyes and floated just below the knee. And tomorrow she would parade through Shiz dressed in it, accompanied by her childhood chaperone and - perhaps - a friend. “You could come too, if you wished?”

The pregnant silence that followed extended until Galinda would have thought Elphaba had fallen asleep if she could not hear the steady turning on the pages. All she had craved was a reaction, sweet blessed attention, from the only girl within the Crage Hall that did not wish to give her the time of day and now she faced imminent rejection. She tried not to wait with bated breath, tried to practise a patience that did not come easily to her, tried to act as though a hope she could not quite explain was building inside her at the very suggestion.

There was a pause in the turning of the pages, and Elphaba seemed to have finished weighing up the offer. Perhaps wondering as to whether it was genuine, and of that Galinda could not blame her. Not after the pranks played by Shenshen and Pfannee. “If I finish my lab work before you leave, perhaps.” Although Galinda has spoken at hardly more than a whisper, Elphaba always used the same flat tone regardless of the dim light that brought about a strange sense of secrecy. Biting down on her lip to curb her grin, unseen in the dark, Galinda did not trust herself to respond just yet. It did not matter, it was just a lunch, but it felt like the start of something. A journey unlike any she had taken before. And she fell asleep with an excited warmth growing in the pit of her stomach at the thought of the new day that would arrive with the sun.


	2. I Will Drown the Doubt.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> just a couple of gal pals having lunch in a storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> same as before; currently, i'm writing it from galinda's pov but it may shift as we go. there may be some m rated chapters later on but i'll put warnings at the beginning.
> 
> you can also reach me on tumblr @ glindasgay.
> 
> please give feedback and let me know what you think ! or any suggestions you may have !

Galinda awoke to the soft light struggling through a vengeful sky stretching vast outside the window of her shared dorm room. Hardly daring to move for fear of a bitter breeze entering the warm haven of her bed sheets, she remained deadly still - pondering her late night conversation with the strange girl sleeping so close to her upon the other bed. She didn’t risk a glance over. Part of her almost felt it had all been part of a dream, an alternative reality played out in her sleeping mind where her roommate had spoken softly to her, almost agreeing openly to travelling into the city for lunch with her. She was unsure why that proposition thrilled her so, to be arm in arm with a girl she had once scorned so publically, but her excitement caused her to grin into her pillowcase. Today would be a new day, a new experience. She was going to make that silly green girl appreciate her, whether she wanted to or not.

Finally caving to the inevitable, Galinda swung her short legs out from the covers and winced at the chill that instantly caused goosebumps to prickle her pale skin. The gust of air from a window left ajar was like an ice shot through her veins, and had left a small puddle of water atop the windowsill. Remembering her companions odd aversion to the water (one she had never explained, and Galinda had always felt was too intrinsically personal for her to probe for more information on), the petite blonde travelled over to the mess and began to clear it. New as it was to her, this feeling of purpose and selflessness, she felt a curious pride that almost made her feel silly. How rare it was for her to act with thought only for another, without it being part of some larger performance. As a child, Galinda had taken to dancing like a fish to water. It had been at her mother’s instruction and it was deemed necessary for a young girl of her social class. Dancing had taught her more than poise and grace; she had learned to tiptoe around people, to shun the ignorance of those who spoke ill of her family, their struggling status, and to project an image beyond that which she could honestly claim to be true. She grew up before her own reflection, learning to remodel herself for another’s eyes and even when her motions had grown frantic, her movements crazed, she had spun and twirled for the rest of the world. They would never see her falter and fall.

The weather outside looked more bleak as she stood before the streaked glass. The rain beat against their window-pane harder now, tapping on the glass with a continuous, irritating rapping. The wind howled outside, whistling through the narrow gaps in the slightly ajar window; she quickly snapped it shut to prevent further leakage. It was only as she thought upon her roommate’s odd habits and aversion to the miserable weather that Galinda glanced behind and noticed she was not in her bed. Her sharp figure not coiled in on itself, as it usually was, sleeping in the fetal position as though attempting to take up as little space as possible, amongst her drab sheets.

A moment of panic. Perhaps Elphaba had forgotten their plans and headed out alone. Irrational fear was rising again, a kind of anxiety she had never been able to predict or control. It was a living beast that reared its ugly head inside her at the prospect of loneliness and rejection. She rushed to check the outer hall - with arms outstretched, reaching for the doorknob just as it swung open into her face. And there she was, the green girl inches from her face and looking equally as startled as Galinda, who stumbled backwards in shock. Elphaba stuck out her arms, surprisingly strong as she was, and caught the blonde girl with a confusion clear in her wide eyes. There was a moment of silence when all Galinda could feel was the acute awareness of her proximity to the other girl. She could have counted her eyelashes, mapped the curvature of her throat, but her cheeks flushed crimson and all she could do was stare blankly and become increasingly aware of an odd smirk tilting Elphaba’s smile as she watched her.

“You have freckles today.” Elphie sounded amused at her discovery, but more so at Galinda’s childish response - tongue poking out between pouting lips and soft fingertips rushing as though to cover the blemishes she usually blended away with concealer. They were a reminder of another secret, of the red roots that would soon grow out to be hidden afresh by blonde. 

“I always have them.” Lowering her hands, Galinda gave a half-laugh. How could she be insecure here? What grounds did Elphaba have to judge her? And she was so close, mere inches away - she tried desperately not to think about that short distance. For some strange reason, her head spun when she thought on it, when she gazed into those fierce, dark eyes. Elphaba’s eyes were like stars, she thought, only brighter, a whole unknown world burning behind them. Finally collecting herself enough to stand, she tried not to feel disappointed as Elphaba stood her up straight. “I usually cover them. Now, stop it! Don’t you know it is rude to stare?”

“They’re nice.” She thought she could listen to Elphaba’s laugh all day, even it was aimed at her. There was a confusion in her tone though and Galinda could sense a forbidden question brewing. She also knew that unlike her, Elphie would not hesitate to voice her curiosities about Galinda’s appearance and racked her brain for a change of topic but was too late. “Why would you cover them?”

“We all have things we dislike about our appearance, do we not?” It was a little pointed and she took a further step back.

“That we do.” Far from offended, the other girl seemed almost more intrigued. For a moment, they were almost alike. It was fleeting, of course, but it hung between them like something they would not forget. A minute of weakness, a confession of the insecurities that boiled beneath Galinda’s skin, was enough to level the playing field, was enough for understanding.

“I am afraid I will be not be attending your luncheon today. I trust you will have an equal time without me.” Elphaba’s tone was a little strained, but her face betrayed no hesitance as she walked away from a shocked and hurt Galinda towards her unmade bed.

“Oh, but Elphie, you did say you would come? It is ever so rude to cancel at such short notice!”

“In my defence, Miss Galinda, you did not offer me much time to make up my mind. And, all that aside, I simply could not attend if I wanted to - the weather is far too foul and I cannot go out in such rain.”

The honorific use sat like a weight in her gut; weren’t they past that yet? Had she really flung this onto the other girl with too little option for refusal? She was so used to the complicated world of social politics, of the way they could not deny her even if they wished to, that dealing openly with someone so disinterested. It felt uncharacteristic for Elphaba to hide behind such a weak excuse (the weather, I mean  _ really _ , Galinda thought) and a rage opened up within her gut - her very own storm to match the one raging out past their battered window.

“If you do not wish to go to lunch with me, I shall not invite you again. There is no need to lie to me about why.” Pride shone in her eyes, alongside the hurt she wished she could better conceal so as not to appear weak. She was standing up for herself, finally. How could it be that this girl made her both so small and so brave all at once? There was something there, something that drew her to want to be in control, to want to make Elphaba know that she would not stand to be left and lied to. But the prospect of her declaration, of returning to their cold and distant companionship - it left an ache in her chest she did not have a name for.

“I am not lying,” Elphaba said crossly, “I cannot get wet. I am allergic to water; you should know this by now.”

“There is no such thing. Do not be ridiculous.”

“There are no such thing as green skinned Munchkin girls.” At this, Galinda was admittedly stumped. She stared, aghast, at the triumphant looking Elphaba who could only laugh at the blonde’s horror. “Out of curiosity, why did you believe I washed with oils?”

“Well, I did think you very strange, I must admit.” Now it was Galinda’s turn to laugh, almost in relief. How silly she felt, mixing with a swell of pity for the girl before her with her curious outcasted life. She was so fascinated for a moment she forgot herself, forgot how she caged her own mind and hid behind ignorance and let herself think, just for a moment, how it might feel to be someone else. It was not that her intentions were not genuine, they just wholeheartedly came from a different place.

“Wait here! Do not move!” Her excitement seemed to worry the green girl who had been making her bed, almost military in her discipline, before collapsing onto it with a book in hand. Were her ideas  _ always _ so bad? Galinda thought not, crossly, but with too much enthusiasm for her new plan to do much more than throw her a threatening look -  _ move at your own risk _ . She dressed at such a speed, she had never put such little thought into her appearance before. Of course, she slipped on the blue dress Elphaba had favoured the night before (with only a quick wistful glance at the preferable pink) and brushed soft powder across the offending blemishes she had been outed for previously. A little eyeshadow, a touch of pink gloss; primping and preening, Galinda was beautiful and she knew it. The process took her less time than expected, and she threw Elphaba one last warning glance before she left and a hurried cry to stay put, which earned her little more than a rolled eye and dramatic sigh, before she fled down the corridor.

Dragging Ama Clutch, newly awake and less than thrilled to hear about their cancelled luncheon (although perhaps that was Galinda projecting, she had never been too good at reading the reactions of others), Galinda attempted to explain to her the plan she was still concocting as she raced out the building and towards the nearest shop. Her skin turned to lace, thin and pierced by rain, and her coat could offer little in the way of protection. Galinda was, for once, thankful not to run into anybody she knew. This was one excursion she did not want to have to explain.

The world was not yet risen, drenched as it was, and Crage Hall was no exception. The storm was only just beginning. The sky was as black as the devil’s soul. The clouds staining it were the colour of damnation and glared down balefully at the cowering young student and her chaperone as they fled into the store. Like a tightening noose, the sky seemed to be coiling in on itself, purring with a suppressed rage. A distant rumbling, much like the sound of an avalanche, echoed in the air. The world became cellar-dark and the buckling, heaving sky looked fit to collapse. Then there was an explosion like a sonic boom. Doom-black clouds, pregnant with malice, churned and roiled. They looked as vaporous as mist and as fleecy as black wool. 

Galinda raced around the aisles, not quite used to shopping for herself, and spurred on by her growing fear of the outside terror. No wonder Elphaba would not step foot out in this weather. She wondered, briefly, as she tossed up sandwich options, whether the other girl was ever afraid. To be scared was a natural thing for Galinda, anxiety plagued her wherever she tread, but the green woman was ever-certain of herself. Not everyone liked Elphaba, but it was hard not to admire such fearlessness.

Her shopping trip was brief, held up mostly by her Ama’s mutterings and her own indecisive nature, but she haltered dramatically when she reached the open door. The rain had come down full force. It was icy, stinging nails of rain that seemed to strip the skin off anyone who passed under it. Then the hailstones began to fall. They were bone-white and as big as boiled eggs. Worrying for a moment whether it was worth making a break for it across the short courtyard before reaching the safety of the University shelter that would carry on until she returned to her accomodation and weighing it up against standing like a fool in the doorway a moment longer, Galinda turned to grab her companions arm only to see that Ama Clutch had already fled out into the terrible storm. Bombarding the two women with their spite as they desperately tried to shield themselves. A clanking sound could be heard from the sky and Galinda’s drantic calls could not be heard over the awful thunderclaps and the fizzing sound of electricity in the air. It was as if a huge anvil was being dragged across the vault of heaven against its will. She marvelled for a moment, despite herself, at the power and majesty of the weather. Oz did have such truly majestic storms.

Arriving back at the dorm, out of breath and looking as though she had stepped out to bathe fully clothed, Galinda burst through the door and threw the shopping bag down upon her bed. Elphaba sat up with a start, taking in the sight of the near-drowned girl with a mixture of shock, pity and a rather cruel amusement that caused the blonde to cry out in frustration.

“Galinda, you’re drenched!”

“Yes, thank you, I can see that.” Galinda could not help but be short with her. She was frozen to the bone, shivering in her soaked gown and she was  _ certain _ her hair looked atrocious. All she wanted was for Elphaba to look away, to stop appraising her as she was sure she looked far less than her best and couldn’t stand the thought of the green skinned girl thinking of her in a poor light.

“Your new dress is ruined.”

“I can see that too, Elphie dear.” Her tone was calmer now. Too exhausted to be angry, she could not collapse down upon her sheets for fear of soaking them through and instead moved towards her wardrobe in search of a second outfit for the day - and a clean towel. “I have more dresses. Besides, I only wore  _ this _ one for you.” If Galinda had been more perceptive she would have noticed Elphaba blush an odd shade at those words; she would have noticed her triumphant grin, and she’d have noticed it slide away as her shoulders dropped, her thin fingers twirling midnight hair like a ballerina performing an endless pirouette. But Galinda was not observant and she padded across to the bathroom to dry off and change into the soft pink dress she had considered the previous night. 

She was just finishing brushing her hair, without time to set it just right, when she could hear rustling coming from the bedroom. Rushing out, back into the open space they shared, she caught Elphaba looking up guiltily with her green hands holding open her bag - a little gingerly to avoid the droplets of water still clinging to the plastic. An apology that Galinda knew would never escape her verdant lips was evident in her eyes.

“I wanted to know what what was worth the effort.” Elphaba, indeed, spoke without regret and Galinda couldn’t help but smile at her unapologetic shrug. She had no shame. “You risked the storm to buy yourself lunch?”

“I risked the storm to buy  _ us _ lunch - since you cannot journey outside.” Trilling voice and childish excitement, Galinda had always embodied something joyful and sweet - untouched, but around Elphie it seemed to soften further. Almost like an adolescent crush, she found herself overthinking each step and word, her pitch rising and her breath often catching. Throwing her weight down onto the bed beside the other girl, she pulled each item out and laid it onto the sheet in a meticulous and orderly fashion. “Unless you do not wish to have lunch with me at all, Miss Elphaba?”

“Oh, I believe I could suffer through it, Miss Galinda.” This time the green girl’s insult was laden with humour and they both laughed; a collective feeling of togetherness almost swallowed Galinda. This was new, it was genuine. She got such a thrill at her roommate’s approval, her close proximity, and she could not help but study her elongated features as she picked at the bread with her slender fingers - almost like that of a pianist, she thought. Her thin cheekbones and sharp nose matched somehow; she was pointed, cutting where Galinda was rounded and soft. They made for a curious pair.

“Galinda?” A rough green hand reached out and shoved her, probably harder than Elphaba had intended because Galinda fell backwards into her pillows with a small start and the hand returned to wave dramatically in front of her face. “Galinda, are you even listening to me?”

“Y-yes! Yes. I am listening. There is never a call to shove in such a manner.” Affronted and a little peeved, Galinda collected herself and tossed her elegant golden curls back over her shoulder. “What was it you said?”

“You were  _ not _ listening.” Elphaba’s laugh was like a cackle yet it remained infectious; Galinda could not help but giggle and Elphaba pushed her, gentler this time, and she toppled back into the pillows she had just risen from. This time though, she reached out instinctively and dragged the green girl down with her, gasping as she landed on top of her. Sharp fingernails dug into her sides and Galinda squealed so loudly, Elphie drew back with a look of concern that soon melted to mirth and her hand returned to brush lightly at Galinda’s clothed side till tears sprung up in her bright blue eyes.

“Stop it, you wicked thing.” The teasing was light and carefree but then her laughter faded away and there it was. A hard truth staring her in the face in the form of Miss Elphaba Thropp. Her features, ones she had studied so intensely whenever the opportunity provided itself, were now inches from her own. Her body lay heavy against her own curvaceous figure, her bent knees pressed against her thighs and her sharp arms lifting her so she hovered above her so tantalisingly close. What was this? What were they doing? Whatever it was felt inappropriate, uncomfortable - needed. Is this what it was like to want so badly what was forbidden? Elphaba appeared a little distressed at their proximity too, but, like Galinda, seemed incapable of pulling away.

“Wait, wait!” Galinda struggled to speak. She was finding it hard to breathe. Had she ever been so tantalisingly close to something she wanted before? Something she really, truly wanted in a way that made her stomach ache and her eyes almost prick with tears. If she held this position any longer, she was bound to cave and there were consequences to those actions she did not dare to even dream of. “You are going to squash a perfectly good lunch! I risked life and limb for those sandwiches and you will enjoy them.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Elphaba withdrew, her lanky form pulling back carefully (almost melodramatically) so as not to disturb the feast lying between them on the sheets. Rising, flushed and a little dazed, Galinda took a moment gather herself. There was a smirk on the other girl’s pursed lips that irked her and yet she had not smart comment to make it return. Oh, this was all so confusing!

“Now, eat.” And, for once, Elphaba heeded Galinda’s words and obediently tucked into the food prepared for her. They ate and they spoke of normal things - Elphie recounted her lessons with Dr. Dillamond and Galinda tried to ignore the fear she felt at the prospect of some of Elphaba’s declarations, and in return Elphaba ignored all of Galinda’s attempts to return the conversation to fashion and her now-narrowing social circle. It was different, but it worked. They laughed so easily and spoke so readily that Galinda thought, just for a short while, that maybe things would now be able to remain this simple and sweet between them for good and they could ignore the moments past and the complications looming in the not-so-distant future.


End file.
